Rebuilder's Forum - RebuildYourBack.com

LOST IN THE SYSTEM

LOST IN THE SYSTEM

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 6:27 pm

by Colleen

Hi everyone, I have found reading all your stories very educational and have found myself in a position where I have been around the medical system and I am basicaly back to square one. I have an inverted disc buldge L3, from my MRI scan. I have been palmed from one professional to the other. Doctors treat the systems and palm you off to physiotherapy who perform accupunture ect. But knowone gives you the alturnative of the most basic of treatment such as Deans. No cost ect. Some people might need surgery, but why don't they tell you of other alturnatives. I didn't know which way to turn. I couldn't walk let alone sit. It has taken me 4 months to get where I am. I am still on strong pain killers, but find I am doing better since I have found Deans web site, and have started the excercises. I feel they should inform us a patients, to these alturnatives. As for me I have been this way too long and my recovery will be even longer.The whole system stinks. It take months and months just to get appointments with these people, who don't have five minutes to spend listening to you, or don't wait for you to answer a question before asking another. I am bewildered. I feel I am alone trying to cope with fixing my back. Thank heavens for your insight.

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:33 am

by SeafordMdf

Hi Colleen ,

Welcome to the Forum from another fellow Aussie in here

I can relate to what you are saying with regards to the Drs not listening or explaining things to you , Seems normal with Lower back pain problems as It's an area that your normal GP doesn't really know that much about and really just wants to move you off to a Specialist

I read your other post about the Nerve block , and I would also tend to agree that it's a short term fix , As are any really strong medication that they have put you on , That's only masking the pain , not addressing the problem , and In my own opinion putting you at further risk of more damage as you may not feel any pain if you are doing something ( Lifting / Twisting etc ) that may be causing further injury .

As for Physiotherapists , I've found them to be good , They have been the only people that have actually taken any real interest in the patients welfare ( In my personal experience ONLY ! )

But they have only so much time to spend with you and hence often we walk away from the session no wiser for the visit .

But one thing that all the 3 Physiotherapists I have seen made VERY CLEAR was exercise is the key to the recovery .

I suppose I speak for everyone on this forum when I say :-

Back Pain is probably one of the worst types of Pain that you could ever suffer from ( With the exceptions of Terminal Illness pain )

It's not only the Back Pain that is the problem , there is also :-

Loss of the ability to do things you were able to do prior

Depression ( In many cases - I'd suspect Most ? )

Loss of work ( in many cases ) and the self esteem that goes with that work

And the one that annoys me the most , and It's a common one here in Australia ,

If you complain of Back Pain , Many people suddenly label you as a Bludger or a Compensation scammer

I find it helpful to be able to chat to people that have similar problems , Your family and friends are a great support network , But It's nice to speak with others who suffer from this problem .

That's where this forum is really nice to have

All the Best ,

Mark

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:55 am

by randolph

Hello Colleen ... and welcome So very glad you are already finding good help here.

My wife grew up in the UK and told me stories of long waits to get medical attention, and less than inspirational attitudes in the care givers, once you did get some help. Even here in the US (where the medical services are less socialized), those of us receiving care funded by state gov't health insurance programs receive generally inferior care (at least that's the case in NC). Meanwhile ... you're still hurtin' for certain. All of which makes for the necessity of us taking more responsibility for our health care than we originally thought necessary (kinda like having to do most of the repair work on your car when you bring it into the repair shop!)

Part of that responsibility is getting educated, which it sounds like you're doing now. With all the specialization in the medical field, all a surgeon can talk to you about is surgery, all a PT can talk to you about is physical therapy, all a chiropractor can talk to you about is subluxations, etc. ... so it seems to be the patient's responsibility to approach each specialist with caution. Trust just seems ill-advised. All of which you are finding out ... meanwhile ... you're still hurtin' for certain.

Then there's the incredible complexity and mystery of lower back disorders. A broken arm is easy ... but consider the challenge your GP has when you come in with back pain. There are so many potential causes. And even if the MRI reveals a disc bulge, that may not even be the cause of the pain! So, yes, it's a real mess. But meanwhile ... you guessed it ... you're still hurtin' for certain.

Which reminds me, Colleen, what exactly is an INVERTED disc bulge? Is the bulge going in toward the center of the disc? I just can't picture that ... but just goes to show, there's a lot for all of us to learn here.

So all I'm really writing here is that we understand your frustration and we know the pain you're going through. Thankfully, you aren't alone here and there is a lot more hope than it feels like to you right now. One very hopeful, silver lining around this storm cloud is the body's amazing ability to heal, if we don't get in the way. It's seems really important to slow down (some of us, yours truly included, are usually going WAY too fast and trying to do WAY too much).

I'm hoping some of us will have some specific recommendations to help with your specific problem (that INVERTED disc) ... but in the meantime, I'm very glad you found your way here ... and I hope you continue to post news of your progress.

Randolph

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:06 am

by SeafordMdf

@ Randolph

subluxations

Please no , lets not attract them back again

I was just reading your post about Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation

Looks like a very good read , but sadly a Bargain at $120 Aust Dollars

Off to my Library tommorrow to see if I can find it .

Cheers ,

Mark

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:44 am

by Colleen

Hi Guys,
Thanks so much for your reply. I hope you don't think I am a bit for a winger. Have been trying very hard to stick to all the excerises and I am feeling some relief.
Yes inverted disc. From what I was told from my orthopedic surgern; most peoples discs buldge out to the side of their spine, making the operation easy and straight forward. Whereas mine buldged out further around towards my stomach, making it difficult to get to, and they can't actually see where and what they are cutting. So they decided it would be better to skip that type of operation and offered to do the nerve root blockage.
I am happy to continue following Deans method as each day seems to be getting a bit better. A few weeks and I'll probable be off the pain killers.
Will give you an up date in a few weeks. Once again thanks for your replies.
Regards,
Colleen

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 2:01 pm

by randolph

Mark, don't know how it works in Aussie-land, but our best libraries in the US are the college libraries .. and the bigger the college, the greater the selection. My local public library did not have McGill's book, but the college library did. It's worth finding. Really made it clear to me exactly what it is were trying to do with the exercises, and how best to do the exercises. Good luck.

Colleen: Thanks for telling us what an "inverted disc" is. Seems kind of funny that the inverted position of the disc bulge would make doing a microdiscectomy any more difficult than the more common, posterior position. But the main consideration is avoiding the surgery in the first place ... so I'm glad you're giving RYB a chance first. Will be looking forward to your progress reports!